Money – The word that holds so much power in our physical reality. By dictionary definition: something generally accepted as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment: such as officially coined or stamped metal currency, paper money, money of account. By spiritual definition: the manifestation of energy, used as an exchange of energy. Money has been a part of human history for thousands of years within our current reality. The system began with bartering goods and services, while paper currency was first introduced by the Chinese Tang Dynasty and used for 500 years before the practice caught on in Europe, in the 17th Century. In turn, the remainder of the world followed suite, taking us to today’s manifestation of the global banking system.
So how did money shift from being a simple medium of exchange or an exchange of energy, into an entity that holds such importance it can define security, status, respect, independence, and self worth in general? The answer is societal belief patterns. These belief patterns have long been influenced by the people who assumed positions of power in our world reality, and the majority (mainstream) have proven easily manipulatable. Therefore an idea is spawned and spread into the mainstream via means based in some way on advertising, and people adopt these ideas as beliefs structures, which then represent how they play out their physical lives. The societal belief about money is that it holds power and we must acquire it to survive. This has created a perpetual cycle in reality that we see played out all over the western world by stressed out humans represented as hamsters on a wheel.
What if we could shift our beliefs about money, in turn shift our reality, and even reality as a whole (the collective consciousness)? Consider this an invitation to examine how you use money as an expression of who you are. What does your use of money say about your inner reality, and outer? There are a few books I will defer to here, all different, but all highly educational with respect to discovering and shifting our money reality..
Money and the Meaning of Life, You Were Born Rich, Think and Grow Rich, The Neville Reader, and Unshakeable (for those of you wanting a practical guide with some solid investment strategies). One thing I have found to ring true from all of these teachings and any others I’ve experienced, is that discipline and diligence is necessary. Changing our subconscious, our beliefs and our internal reality is not a one time fix! So if you’re not prepared to be diligent and stay on course, there’s no point even beginning.
Probably the greatest determining factor of someone’s overall well-being is the degree to which they value themselves and feel okay internally, regardless of circumstances. Our outer world should not be dictating how we feel on the inside. Easier said than done sometimes in this dysfunctional reality, where self worth has become entangled with net worth and lifestyle standard. But the only authentic way to value ourselves is by shifting our beliefs and learning to separate our self worth from our finances. A great first step to take is to look in the mirror and tell yourself “I love you” 10 times a day. You might be surprised at some of the emotions that come up, it’s a powerful exercise. Beyond this there are many tools and therapies one can use, from meditation to healing sessions to counseling and beyond (see some of my past articles). Once we have re-membered who we are and reconnected to our true value, we can look at how money is simply an expression of that.
Ultimately, the power and meaning you give to your money determines how you live your life. Where we spend our money reflects who we are as people, showing our inner world through our outer world of possessions and lifestyle. As we are more conscious of this, we can make choices that create the reality we want to see. For example, you want to see a cleaner, greener world, so you make the conscious choice to buy eco and organic products, supporting those companies who are making the change. If you want to support local farmers and suppliers rather than the beast that is industrial agriculture, you shop at farmer’s markets, co op’s or stores that supply these choices. Perhaps you really care about labour practices, so you only buy products from companies that treat their labour force humanely and don’t use sweat factories. Tithing and gifting to charities or local organizations that you believe are making a powerful impact is another way of supporting your vision for the world. The possibilities are endless but the bottom line the same, where we spend our money reflects who we are as people and how we wish to represent ourselves. We can make conscious choices to shift our reality by adjusting the way we spend our money. Remember: money = energy, so our spending practices can also have a compounding effect on the collective reality. You spend and put energy into a particular idea, that energy is then reflected into the greater consciousness, others are attracted to it and so is the beginning of a movement. Some food for thought before you make your next purchase…
